The Eco-Schools Programme focuses on the following nine key environmental themes. Eco-Schools are encouraged to take special interest in some themes and work on them during the school year. Initially giving focus to easier themes such as Water, Waste/Litter and Energy, participants can move progressively into more challenging thematic areas.
1) WATER
The Eco-Schools Programme can be used to introduce to pupils the importance of water both locally and globally and and to raise awareness about how simple actions can substantially cut down water use.
Schools can reduce their water consumption by assessing how much they use every day and setting targets for reduction, identifying leaks and drips, adapting the flow rate on taps and reducing the amount of water used in toilets. Many Eco-Schools have addressed water and utility costs as part of their Action Plan. Careful water management together with an effective education programme can reduce water use by two-thirds.
2) WASTE/LITTER
The Eco-Schools Programme stresses the importance of the individual’s efforts in minimizing the production of waste, namely, through the following steps:
- Reduce: Reduce waste by changing manufacturing processes so that less material are used or change consumer habits so that less wasted material is bought.
- Re-use: Choose goods and products that can be used again. Waste minimization is not going to reduce waste output to zero. It is necessary to think about what is going to be done with the rubbish left. The re-use of products or materials that would otherwise become waste can provide a range of social, economic and environmental benefits. This is an area where the voluntary and community waste sector can give a huge contribution.
- Recycle / recover: Recycling is one way every individual can help the environment every day - and it is easier to do than it has ever been: make sure that waste is processed and made into another product wherever possible. Composting is also recycling: the nutrients in organic waste are processed and returned to the soil to help more plants to grow.
3) ENERGY
The energy theme in the Eco-Schools programme can be used to suggest ways in which all members of the school can work together to increase awareness of energy matters and to improve energy efficiency within the school. Eco-Schools are required to carry out an energy audit as part of their Environmental Review and then set targets for reducing unnecessary energy use through their Action Plan.
4) NATURE AND BIODIVERSITY
Why does biodiversity matter?
Biodiversity affects our lives in many ways:
Biodiversity affects our lives in many ways:
- We depend on a healthy natural environment for many things, from food and medicine to flood control and leisure.
- Evidence shows that contact with nature is good for our health and well-being. Natural green places provide natural solutions to many diseases – obesity and inactivity; heart disease and strokes; depression and mental illness.
- Green spaces are our insurance policy against the impacts of climate change. Trees, green roofs and public parks can make urban areas cooler and help reduce the risk of flooding, keeping homes and businesses dry.
- Towns and cities with trees, parks and other green spaces are shown to better attract and retain a workforce and draw in investment.
Biodiversity and schools
School grounds are ideal places to get children involved, in a hands-on way, with the natural environment. They offer a safe, practical and exciting opportunity for outdoor learning that can complement classroom-based activities.
School grounds are ideal places to get children involved, in a hands-on way, with the natural environment. They offer a safe, practical and exciting opportunity for outdoor learning that can complement classroom-based activities.
5) SCHOOL GROUNDS
School grounds provide a wide range of opportunities for formal and informal learning. Depending on the surroundings, they can have a significant impact on students’ attitudes and behaviour towards school, each other, the wider environment, and society. Students can spend many hours in the school grounds so it’s important that the experiences they have there are the best and most positive they can be. In order to support what is said inside the classroom, practical ideas need to be applied outside. These could include recycling and composting in the school grounds, introducing native plant species to attract birds and bees into school compounds, using recycled materials for creating elements within the grounds or maintaining the grounds using organic methods.
6) TRANSPORT/SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
Sustainable transport refers to any means of transport which reduces fuel consumption, pollution and car use. This includes cycling, rail and bus transport, walking or car-pooling.
Walking and cycling are excellent forms of physical activity and the journey to school can make an important contribution to increasing these activity levels. Walking and cycling can help children to gain confidence and make friends, helping both to increase independence and traffic sense. Schools should consider running campaigns to encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.
7) HEALTHY LIVING
Schools are key settings where the health and well-being of children and young people can be promoted; for example, by providing a supportive environment, healthy school meal options and opportunities for physical activities.
A Healthy School Enhancement Model can be designed to help schools develop strategies to achieve better outcomes around health and well-being for children and young people. It can also help schools to strive for lasting health and well-being behavioural changes in children and young people, with particular focus on providing targeted support for those who are really in need.
8) LOCAL AGENDA 21
The Local Agenda 21 initiative stems from the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio, when more than 150 nations endorsed Local Agenda 21, a commitment to plan for sustainable development into the next century. Sustainable development has been defined as development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Essentially, it can be seen as an approach which recognises the importance and inter-dependence of economic, social and environmental needs in future development. Getting eco-schools to be involved in this topic will develop pupils’ understanding of what sustainable development means and at the same time make pupils aware of the link between their lives and the lives of others throughout the world. Students are also to be made aware that local actions can have both positive and negative global effects on people and the environment; now and in the future.
Through work related to sustainability, pupils should be able to recognize the value and importance of conserving natural habitats, resources and cultures in all their diversities. Besides, they can feel empowered and believe that their actions or involvement with others can make the world a better place. Students networking with other cultures and societies can facilitate understanding and empathy.
Through work related to sustainability, pupils should be able to recognize the value and importance of conserving natural habitats, resources and cultures in all their diversities. Besides, they can feel empowered and believe that their actions or involvement with others can make the world a better place. Students networking with other cultures and societies can facilitate understanding and empathy.
9) CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change represents one of the biggest threats of the planet at several levels; social, environmental and economic. That climate change is occurring is clear from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea levels. Most of the warming that has occurred over the last 50 years is very likely to have been caused by human activities.
To make schools aware of what can be done to combat climate change, examples of best practices will be shared. This will help schools understand that they can contribute by reducing their CO2 emissions, and must adapt to a new reality: climate change.
Similarly, the use of water, too, can release CO2 into the atmosphere. For example, most schools will get their water from a public water supply. Students must know that water needs to be treated near dams and pumped to a higher level, with energy being consumed at each step. As with the energy theme, increased awareness and simple changes in habit can help lessen the amount of water we use, which can directly reduce our carbon footprint and climate change.
